After the War
by SydneyTheSquidney
Summary: After the war, Tris and Tobias have been living a happy, if difficult, life. Read as they try and face the difficult life that causes them daily struggles. [Sorry I'm bad at summaries! First story!]
1. Chapter 1

I woke up, shooting up into bed, tears streaking down my face.

My husband laid beside me, dressed only in shorts, sleeping.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand, and let out a small sob. Tears wet my wrist, but they just kept falling.

I'd had the dream again. The dream that sent me into a cold sweat, the one when I raised the gun, and I knew it was a dream, but it wasn't, and when I pulled the trigger then I felt the buck of the gun, and then the tall, handsome figure crumbled. The figure that used to be one of my most trusted friends. I was reliving the past, and I didn't know how to stop it.

"You're not gonna get anything done if you keep moping in bed," I said softly to myself. I swung my legs off of the queen-sized mattress, careful not to disturb Tobias, who was curled up in a small arc, his hair tousled and his face craving for a shave.

My name is Tris Eaton. I'm 24 years old. Dauntless. My choices are my own, and I wouldn't change them even if they stopped the nightmares.

I stripped off my tank top and sweatpants, and then ducked into the shower, relishing the hot spray of water than ran down my face and onto my back. After about ten minutes of showering, I stepped out and wrapped myself into a towel, taking small wet footsteps into the bedroom.

I took a look at the clock. 6:oo.

Tobias was waking up, and smiled with bleary eyes. "Hey, sweetheart. Today's the day, huh?"

"Yeah, can't wait to terrorize some moody teenagers," I smiled as I grabbed some black shorts and a matching T-Shirt.

Today was the Choosing Ceremony. Instead of joining the large crowd of Dauntless that were sure to go, I stayed in the Transfer Gym to set up beforehand.

Tobias and I were not officially leaders, but some of the most celebrated people in all of Chicago. After the war, we decided to keep up the factions, but allow freedom of speech for all people, and all the factionless were offered new homes and new factions. Notice that I said 'offered'. There still were a great amount of factionless people that had a voice in Chicago and that now had their own sets of rules.

I went back into the bathroom, and shut the door behind me as I changed. I kept thinking about the new initiates. I'd trained them the last five years, so I wasn't worried. I just wondered about how they would react to this drastic change. Some, you could tell that they were going to be low-ranked. Others, you knew that they would last. One of my favorite parts about the new set of rules is that nobody _had_ to be factionless, even if they failed all of their initiation. If you ranked low, you got a lesser job that didn't pay as well, which seemed fair to me.

I heard rustling in the bedroom. Tobias probably was getting on clothes himself. I opened a drawer to find my hairdryer, and as I thought and dried my hair, I felt a pair of solid arms wrap around my waist.

I looked up to see my best friend as well as my husband, peeking over my shoulder. I aimed the dryer towards his face, and he laughed, his low voice booming.

"Gosh, Tris. I thought we were husband and wife," He grinned, and then his arms unraveled around my waist, leaving me feeling cold where his warm forearms were a moment ago.

I laughed. "Yeah, we are." I watched as he piled a mountain of shaving cream on his hand, and then I blew that, too. It flew over the bathroom, and it looked as if a thin white snow had slowly descended on the second sink.

Tobias then gathered some more cream in his palm and rubbed it on my arm. He smiled like a doofus, and I lightly pushed him with my hip. "Quit it. I'll look bad for the initiates."

He coughed. I raised my eyebrows. "Like a good husband, I'll say that you always look great. But don't look too good, I don't want them to get too attached." Tobias laughed again.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah,"

As soon as we finished getting ready, it was around six forty-five. We walked, hand in hand, to the cafeteria, which was deserted. We were just about the only ones there, other than Uriah and Christina, who found love in the wake of grief and were holding hands while chowing down on bagels and eggs.

After getting food, we sat next to them. Tobias had coffee and toast, and kept making faces at my eggs.

"Will you stop? You're like a two-year-old." I joked to my husband.

"But, Mo-om!" He said in a falsetto, high voice. I nudged him with my elbow as Christina laughed and Uriah smiled.

Once we'd finished, we all headed to the gym. They trained the Dauntless-born, regardless of Christina's transfer status. I gave her a hug as we had to part ways and set up individual areas.

"Have fun with the transfers. I'll tell you how mine are when we get to dinner. I swear if I have a group like last year…" Christina dragged her finger across her throat and we laughed.

"See you at dinner?"

"I'll be there."

As we parted ways, Tobias opened the door to me and I lightly punched him in the stomach in a friendly way.

"I try to act like a gentleman, and this is what I get?" He said in mock hurt.

"Yep," I shut the door behind us. "Now be a gentleman and grab those mats for me."

Once we finished, it was around ten in the morning. We went up a narrow tunnel into open air, and Tobias took in a deep breath.

"Ah, nature. Ever since we discovered those crops when the gates opened, the air has been so much fresher." He noted.

I nodded absently. I had heard the train blare, distantly, so I nudged him as I went down the ladder and hung on, waiting for jumpers.

Uriah came down and joined Tobias, and Christina shouted down to me, "Tell me if any give you trouble!" And she drove her fist into her other hand, faking a menacing expression. I laughed, and then stopped suddenly as I saw many little figures way up above landing on the roof.

It was time for the initiates to arrive.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for reviewing on my last chapter! This means a lot to me! This is my first story, as it stated in the summary, so please excuse the awfulness that is bound to come… I just recently started writing again, so keep up the reviews and help me out! Thanks, guys! **

I looked up in the air, and saw a mix of colors on the roof. The first jumper was usually a Candor; at least that's what I'd gathered from previous experiences. I hung onto the thin metal ladder as I waited for a jumper.

I knew that it might take a while. When I'd jumped, it was a split-second, adrenaline-fueled action. But for some, it took time. I sat onto the platform and saw Tobias's head peeking down.

"Hi," I smiled up at him, and he waved back and his head disappeared. I dangled my feet off, and then stood abruptly as I saw motion on the roof.

After a couple minutes of waiting, a long, thin figure fell from the sky, its limbs tucked in as it slowly turned around and landed with an _OOMPH _on its back. The net curled around the long, lean body and then, with a spurt of laughter, the kid rolled over on the net with a wild look in its eye.

It was boy, handsome with blond hair and a tall yet muscled build. He was from Erudite, and as I watched he took off his glasses, broke them with a twist, and threw the pieces through the net and into a long drop into the Pit.

"Hey, hurry up!" I called out to him. He stood and made his way over to the ladder, where I helped him up.

"Name? Think hard, this is your chance to change." I smiled at him, and he thought for a moment, his eyes debating.

"Jake." Jake smiled and I raised his arm.

"First jumper: Jake!"

The crowd of Dauntless that had slowly formed as I'd waited cheered and Jake grinned. Tobias helped him climb up, and he went to stand next to Uriah and take everything in.

I craned my neck to see Uriah slap hands with him, and give him what I could only call a guy-hug that I'd seen Tobias and Zeke do many times.

The rest of the jumpers came quickly afterwards, and then I gathered them into a group.

"Welcome to Dauntless!" Christina stepped forward, the sun shining on her newly acquired eyebrow ring. "I hope you all had a nice ride here. If you're Dauntless-born, follow Uriah and me to your dormitory, because you obviously don't need a tour. Transfers, follow Six and Four here, who will lead you around the compound. And don't be scared. Not all of us bite," She grinned, baring her teeth, and a chuckle rose from the crowd.

"Come on!" Tobias yelled, and the group split in two. We had eleven transfers this year. Six Erudite, four Candor, and one Abnegation. We'd get to know their names later on, before training.

"We will take you to the Pit and give you a quick tour." I started walking off, and then stopped as I heard a voice call out to me."

"Why should we follow a Stiff?"

I turned around, and the crowd parted to show a stocky Erudite kid who had brown hair and wore an arrogant smile.

Tobias raised an eyebrow at me, trying not to smile. This wasn't the first time he'd seen this happen.

I walked swiftly over to him, and shoved my face next to his. He was taller than me by a few inches, but height hadn't stopped me before. My eyes shot daggers at his and his brown eyes just looked cocky and full of disbelief, like he couldn't believe that he was being confronted by a Stiff.

"I don't know how you know that I am a Stiff, but I'll have you know that this Stiff saved all of your little butts from complete destruction. If you have a problem with that, confront my good friend Four over here, who is the only one who could come close to beating me in a fight." I made a rude gesture with my hand, and then pushed him back with my palm. His mouth set into an aggravated line, but I had left my mark.

"God, Four," I sighed, holding his hand as we walked down towards the Pit, our little group in tow, "why do we get the difficult ones?"

"We'll break 'em," He laughed in my ear. "We always do."

I laughed and then we continued down the path.

*PAGE BREAK*

After the tour, we went to dinner. I stepped into the jam-packed dining hall, and went around with Tobias to get some food. We sat next to Christina, Uriah, and Zeke, who were all laughing and talking about the fight that had taken place in the initiate dorm. Zeke, who now had a high government position, had dropped in and seen it all take place.

"I would've sent him to the infirmary, but apparently I can't interfere with training," Zeke grinned and bit into his burger. His girlfriend, Maya, was beside him, smiling at him. They'd been together for a few years now, and I'd heard rumors of their engagement.

"Tris almost broke that rule today," Tobias broke into a huge smile and wrapped his arm around my neck, pulling me close. "She about picked a fight with some arrogant Erudite today. I think he's gonna have to learn pretty quickly if he's gonna be in _my _initiation class. I can't have him screwing with my wife."

He planted a kiss on my head, and I laughed and shook him off.

"Personal space, man, person space!" I laughed and nudged him with my elbow, which earned me a smile.

Christina had been quit for a while, and now I looked up to see her smiling at us.

"You two are so great together. When will you finally have kids?" She waited for an answer.

She didn't have to wait long. I shot her a look, and said, "Like I've said before, I don't want kids. I don't want to risk losing them at any time."

"Tris…" Tobias started at me, his big blue eyes sad. "Please. I've wanted a child for how long? Three years, at least."

"We are _not _talking about this here. We're not! I don't care if we've been married for five years. I don't want a child, period." I glared at him, my sharp grey eyes overriding his.

"Fine." Tobias sunk into a stony silence, and I glared at my food.

"Uriah and I have been thinking of a child, but we haven't actually decided yet." Christina held her husband's hand, and they looked lovingly at each other. Gold bands circled their ring fingers, as they'd gotten wed not three month ago. Tobias and I had gotten married just after the war, so at least five years had passed.

The dinner went on stiffly, until Uriah said, "When will we do paintball? I'm excited, so I can put you two to shame."

That coaxed a laugh out of Tobias. "Yeah, right. Five year champions, undefeated." He looked at me, but I didn't return the glance.

I went on moping for the rest of dinner, and finally we put our food in the trash cans and then headed to our respective apartments. Tobias and I owned a loft near the Pit, in the area where government officials usually stay. The tattoo parlor was right down the path from our door. Tobias and I sometimes worked part-time, and that had become my occupation. Neither of us needed to, though, due to the weekly amount of money that the government paid us for our services in the war.

I unlocked the door to our loft, and then we stepped into the carpeted area. It was about 9:oo, and I was exhausted. I got some shorts and a grey T-Shirt from my dresser, and as I changed, I heard a knock on the door. I finished changing, and saw that Tobias had opened the door.

A Dauntless man had come by the door and dropped off a small booklet with the names and former factions of our initiates.

"Thanks," Tobias shut the door, and then turned, grinning. He slapped the envelope down, and slid it to me on the table. I nodded, looking down, and felt a blush blossoming on my cheeks.

"Sorry about earlier, but you can't go around saying that stuff!" I sighed. "I don't want a baby, and I will never want a baby. Period."

"I forgive you," Tobias caressed my arm gently. "After all, I am always right."

"Yeah, right," I laughed.

"You know it's true."

"Uh-huh."

We laid down, side-by-side, in bed. Both of us lay on our backs, staring at the gray ceiling.

"I love you, Tobias."

"I love you too, Tris."


	3. Chapter 3

**Please rate and review! **

The next morning, Tobias and I read over the profiles of our initiates over breakfast.

"Six Erudite, four Candor, and one Abnegation," I chewed my thumbnail, my half-eaten toast pushed away as I read the names.

"Erudites," Tobias read off the names. "Jake Knight, Violet Foster, James Grey, Stormy Taylor, Adam Winters, and Blaze Veil."

I nodded. The last names weren't to be used, but as a trainer, we got their records on hand.

"Candor names?"

Tobias shifted the paper. "Blake Reed, Terry Pond, Jason Wright, and Carrie Young."

"Huh. And Abnegation?"

"Tess Green."

I pulled my toast back towards me and started to nibble the crust. "Any bad ones?" I was only half-joking; some years, we got kids that fought, kids that stole, and kids that had done even worse.

"James Grey is a fighter. Adam Winters was the idiot that stood up to you earlier. And Terry Pond was an athlete, but was caught drinking." He laughed. "Gotta keep an eye on that one. Since they rose the drinking age to 18, we got to be sure she or any other initiate is smuggling alcohol."

"Sounds fun. So, basically, Grey, Winters, and Pond are the ones to watch?"

"Yep."

"Anyone that stands out?"

"Carrie Young and Tess Green were both the tops of their classes, which is really good." Tobias shoveled some ham into his mouth before continuing. "I'm looking forward to meeting Tess. The only Abnegation here, and yet all the boys are falling for her already."

"Like me in my initiation," I grinned joking.

Tobias almost choked on his ham, and I punched his arm. He kept laughing as I stood up, gathering our plates, and throwing them away. When I returned, he'd gotten his stuff together but was still red in the face.

I laughed, and slipped my hand into his. "Come on, let's go meet the initiates."

*PAGE BREAK*

We lined the initiates up. A table was set up with a line of loaded guns resting there. Some initiates looked terrified at the guns, but James, Adam, and Terry all looked at them hungrily. I snuck a grin to Tobias. The three of them stood in a clump, and we had predicted they'd join forces during breakfast.

As Tobias passed out guns, I looked at the initiates, making eye contact with each person as I spoke.

"I hope you had a good night in the compound. Today, we go over some rules and will spend the remaining time learning how to fire a gun. Today and tomorrow will be the only days that we will spend on guns." I heard a small sigh from a few, and then I laughed. "You think this is fun? A few years back, a kid almost blew off his foot from these, and he is no longer able to work due to his stupidity." After that, most of them had eyes clinging to me. They wanted to learn.

"Now for the rules.

"If anyone in this room wants to leave the compound, you get permission from either Four or me before you take a step out of the base. It must be on a free day, and you have to be back within two hours.

If we catch any of you drinking alcohol or doing anything that might break the general rules of Dauntless, you will be set back in training instantly." My eyes swept over Terry. Her face twisted in anger.

"No fights outside of this room." A few initiates nodded. Then I sighed inwardly as I saw Adam arrogantly push forward.

"_Outside _of the room? What about in here?"

"You'll learn that later. And another thing. Talk out of your place, or talk back to an instructor, and you'll face the consequences." My icy glare swept the row of initiates.

"No hurting other initiates. That could get you kicked out, if you hurt them badly enough." A few kids' eyes widened. "Yes, you can get kicked out if you commit a serious crime. Killing, maiming, injuring, you get the point."

Nods, and then I turned to Tobias.

"I'll be showing you how to fire a gun. Tris will come around and help you." His deep voice filled the room, and his big eyes searched the initiates.

"Get in a line." The targets were lined up, eleven of them total. The targets were separated by a waist-high wooden barrier, and painted white lines showed them where to stand.

As Tobias showed them how to cock and fire the gun, I walked behind them, holding a gun of my own, in case I needed to give an example.

To my surprise, Adam and his group struggled as Blaze and Jake, who had looked as if they had something stirring between them, excelled.

On the other hand, I smiled to myself as bullet after bullet hit Tess's target. She was a quick learner, and ignored the jeers that Adam threw at her.

Terry screamed and her gun went off all over, and before I could dash over, Tobias had slapped the gun out of her hand, grabbed her shoulders, and then was asking, "What is it? What is it?"

Terry had wide eyes, and then said, "A spider the size of a tarantula was crawling on my arm! It could've killed me."

Tobias released her, and she fell to the ground.

"You're kidding!" I shouted, and then pointed to her abandoned gun. "You're so lucky that nobody was shot, or else I would've shot you myself. It's a freaking spider! It's not going to hurt you, and we're in a _cave_. What, do you think that we pay somebody to squash bugs? No! You're gonna be Dauntless, now act like it."

I grabbed her wrist and yanked her up roughly, slapping the gun into her hand. "Now shut up and get to work!"

Snickering filled the room as Terry's face grew red. "Shut up!" She hissed as James laughed his laugh a deep, snorting, ugly thing that made me roll my eyes.

As gunshots filled the air, I stood next to Tobias, and he obviously was suppressing a grin. I tried to act mad, but then his face, screwed up from trying not to laugh, won over and I threw out a smile myself. After standing next to him a comfortable silence for a few minutes, I resumed my walking.

Tess was now nailing the bulls-eye at almost every shot. "Good work," I pat her shoulder while she rested, making her jump. "You're one of the best I've seen."

She smiled, her teeth perfectly straight. "Thanks."

Tess was tall and lean, an abnormal combination for an Abnegation. She was pretty, with brown eyes and light brown hair. I'd heard the boys whisper about her, and Blake Reed especially tried at her. He was tall, with thick, brown hair and brown eyes. Blake was muscled, and his arms stood out as Tobias bent over him, looking at his stance from above. Blake was a good kid, and with his shy, quiet demeanor and big form, he reminded me of Al.

My stomach twisted, and I fought back a cry of anger and guilt as he narrowed his eyes and struck the target with his gun, not as good as Tess but not as bad as Terry.

I swallowed hard, and the backs of my eyes grew hot. I swallowed again, and kept it together until lunch break, when I buried my face in my hands.

Tobias, who was sitting to my right, looking at my worriedly. "Tris, you okay?"

I nodded, sighing. "Yeah, I'm fine. Blake looks like Al."

Christina and Uriah were getting their lunches, so Tobias nodded. "Me too. I would tell the others, but you know how Christina would react. Remember when she got an initiate named Will and just lost it?"

I nodded, and took my face out of my hands. "What do we have later today?"

"Introduction to fighting, and tomorrow we spend an hour on guns and then learn punching."

"Sounds fun."

"I wonder who will come out on top." Tobias bit into his hamburger thoughtfully.

"Tess is sharp. She learns quickly, but her height could be bad." Those in the past that were tall ended up being swept off their feet by a smaller opponent. Since she was relatively thin, she'd have to think of a good strategy to use with her weight and height in check.

"True. Adam could be alright, because he's big, but I don't know. Blake, for sure, and maybe Stormy. Violet is small, she has a build like you. After class, you could offer to help her, if she really looks like she is struggling tomorrow."

That coaxed a laugh out. "I dunno. She seems nice, but is super quiet, and she's clumsy. I don't have the patience, Tobias, and you should know that."

He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but a grin crossed his face. My heart melted, and then Christina and Uriah sat down.

"Hi!" Christina smiled, and Uriah also said hello.

"How was this morning?" I asked, smiling.

"Surprisingly, good. But hey, who knows? We're not even a day through."

"Wow, you're optimistic, Christina."

"Yep!"

Uriah rolled his eyes. "She got the cook to get us some cake. Tomorrow is her birthday, and she's ecstatic."

"Ah," Tobias exchanged a knowing look with Uriah.

We continued talking about the initiates and the way they acted, and then I stood up on my seat, raising my voice to be heard by the initiates.

"Transfers! Go back to the room, and don't touch anything! Four and I will meet you there immediately. Go as soon as you can."

A few nods, and then most of the transfers stood. Uriah gave a likewise instruction to his initiates, and then Tobias and I said goodbye and headed to the training room.

I slipped my hand into his. We looked at each other, our eyes staring right through, and then stopped walking, just staring right into each other.

We resumed walking, in a silence that spoke more words than I could ever hope to say.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for the reviews and the favorites, and I hope you can keep them up! Any ideas for the story as it progresses? Review and tell me! Thank you again, and please enjoy!**

The rest of the day was a blur of canvas, punching, and whining from the trio headed by Adam. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, and woke up early, swinging my legs over the bed and standing up. Tobias wasn't awake, and I gently pushed his bare back, and he didn't stir. I placed my palm on his back, and gently scratched it.

"Come on, Tobias. Wake up," I crooned, not wanting to wake him up due to the fact that his face looked so peaceful, so happy, without a care in the world. Soon, that would be transformed into a mask, hard-lined with rigid angles.

He eventually awakened, and then pulled me down for a long, lingering kiss.

"Morning, sweetheart," He said blearily.

"Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, thought I'd try it out."

"It's kinda like you calling me Beatrice. It's not gonna happen."

"Oh, well." Tobias smiled, his white teeth glinting in the dim light.

After getting dressed quickly, we headed to the cafeteria, where Zeke and Maya were waiting, Zeke in jeans and a black jacket, surprisingly nice for him.

"Wow, Zeke. Getting all spiffed up?" Tobias joked, biting into his breakfast sandwich.

"Going to visit Amity today." Zeke made a finger-gun, and acted like he was shooting himself. Maya giggled, but Tobias and I exchanged a glance. What was funny to him only reminded us of Al, jumping into the chasm.

I took a bite of toast, nodding as he ranted about how the Amity are ignorant and needed a real leader. Tobias and I glanced at each other, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Zeke, we have to go. Have fun in Amity." Tobias interrupted him politely, and then stood up.

"I'll try, man. And I'm having a party tomorrow night, you two should come. It's in my place, you know, up by the government offices."

"Thanks. We'll try and make it."

We walked off, passing some initiates on the way. They looked at us, eyes wide, walking stiffly and quickly. I grinned at Tobias, and his face reflected mine.

When we got into the training room, we reviewed quickly on guns and then got on with the punching bags.

"Tomorrow, we will have our fights."

"Fights?" Jason laughed. "That'll be fun."

I ignored him, and went on. "You are allowed to surrender. You will be docked points if you severely injure your opponent, and Tobias and I will call off the fight if needed."

The initiates nodded, and Violet spoke up.

"What if we lose?"

"You will be set back in the rankings, lowering your chance for a desirable job." Tobias said in his low voice.

"Now get to work. Tomorrow is big."

*PAGE BREAK*

The blackboard rested against my legs, facing away from the nervous initiates.

The night before had been uneventful, with a visit to Christina's for a birthday dinner, and then getting ready for today's fights.

"Since there is an odd number, one of you will not be fighting."

A few nervous looks, a few relieved looks. Tobias looked up and down the line of initiates.

"The fights must be taken seriously. You might need to use these skills one day, while guarding the crops or working in the prisons." He grabbed the top of the blackboard and lifted it.

"Here are the fights."

Tess vs. Violet

Stormy vs. Terry

Blake vs. Adam

Jason vs. James

Jake vs. Carrie

Blaze was the only one left out. She sighed softly, and nudged Jake, who was fighting Carrie.

"Tess and Violet, step up."

The ring was a square of mats a few meters wide and about three mats deep. Safety was becoming more and more of a priority to the Dauntless leaders.

Tess, looking different in her pitch-black jeans and a matching shirt, took her place. Her brown eyes searched the green ones of Violet, who looked nervous.

"No need to be nervous." I called out. "We will call off the fight if necessary."

Violet nodded quickly, and then Tobias blew his whistle. Before any of us could react, Tess had launched herself at Violet, who squealed and threw off a hasty punch before getting bombed by a quick flurry of punches from Tess. Tess, who had already knocked Violet to the ground, where she lay crying after an obviously soft punch to the gut, stepped back.

"The winner is Tess." I helped Violet up, and nodded to Tess, who had shown courage in stepping away.

"Stormy against Terry."

I'd predicted that this fight would last a bit longer, and it did. Stormy was quick, tall, and nimble, but Terry was big but slow.

Stormy swept in, ducking to avoid a punch, and caught Terry in the stomach. Terry roared, and brought her fist down on Stormy's back. She crumpled, but jumped back up, eyes narrowed. She was quiet, but focused, and could get stuff done.

Stormy got into a guard stance, and then bared her teeth. She gave a swift kick, that got Terry on the hip, but before she could get back into position, Terry fell upon her.

Stormy rolled, watching Terry crash and then hop up, and they circled each other once more.

"Come on," Stormy grinned, her dark brown hair framing her face. "That the best you've got?"

Terry yelled, and jumped onto Stormy, who dodged and punched Terry a few times to be sure she was down.

"The winner is Stormy." Tobias dragged a disoriented, distant Terry out of the ring.

The rest of the fights were uneventful, and passed in a blur. Blake won his fight, and Jason and Jake both also came out on top.

Tobias and I got dressed for Zeke's party. We headed out, weaving through people in the crowded hallway.

We weren't dressed fancy, but in clean jeans and clean shirts. This, when you were an instructor, was nice.

Tobias and I held hands and greeted old friends as we headed towards the government dorm area, which held the biggest rooms in the compound. After completely redoing most of the compound, the government rooms were the largest, and we could've snagged one before they sold, but decided to stick with a smaller one.

Tobias knocked on the door. Light spilled out from the crack at the bottom, and music pulsed under our feet.

The door opened, and Tobias and I were hit with a wave of fumes that smelled of alcohol and sweat.

Zeke's face was split by a grin, and his eyes slid over ours. Drunk as can be.

"Come on in!" He slurred, stumbling as he threw out his arm, motioning for us to come in.

I thanked him, and we made small talk, which was hard to do with him, and then he wandered off.

"Let's find Christina." I offered, and Tobias nodded, craning his neck to try and find her.

After walking around for a bit, we found two interlocked figures, reeking of alcohol and clothing ripped.

"That's not Christina," I grinned. "That's Terry."

Tobias laughed. "How's training with a hangover? We'll bust her tomorrow when she shows up, puking and whining."

I agreed. "Hopefully Christina isn't the same. She gets wild at parties."

Tobias nodded. "As does Uriah. They need to grow mature, to realize that they have a class to teach and need to set an example."

"You're right. But we've all been through enough that we deserve a night off," I sighed, and clutched tightly to his hand.

Eventually, we found Christina with a beer in her hand, sitting next to a few other younger Dauntless that she'd taught.

I sat down next to her. "Hey, Christina,"

"Hi, Tris!" She wasn't intoxicated yet, but her face was starting to look a bit slack, so I would bet that her next drink would do it.

"How are you?"

"I am _great_. Like, so great, you don't even get it."

Tobias snuck a grin over as Uriah staggered over, vomit on his shirt.

"Baby, I won!" His words blended together as he and Christina began to make out.

I returned the smile to Tobias as I saw the other participants of the alcohol-drinking contest, who were all either throwing up or passed out.

"Let's stay here and talk to Christina while she is still sane," I whispered into his ear, and his stubble scraped my cheek as he nodded.

Uriah had finally left, and Christina's hair was in a mess. It was around ten at night, so it could be a while before we left, so who knows how many more hours of drunken friends.

"Tris," Christina pushed an unopened beer to Tobias and I both, and we popped open the tags and took a sip.

Alcohol was never really my thing, and the only time I'd ever gotten drunk off of it was a year ago. I'd never do that again, thank you very much.

Tobias put his arm around my shoulders as we sat and chatted with Christina, and during part of the conversation Uriah came, who was barely coherent and was interesting to talk to.

"So, are you having a nice time with Christina as your new wife?"

"Her? Oh, yeah! That girl is like… butterfly wings and clouds…" He looked like he wanted to go on, but then slumped over and started snoring.

A few hours later, after we had walked around for a bit, we found Uriah still out cold and Christina sobbing and downing drink after drink.

"I miss him! I miss Will!" She wailed, and Tobias and I, who had a few drinks but were really okay, sighed and exchanged looks. Here it came.

"All my fault!" She kept crying.

"Christina, you couldn't do anything about it."

"All my fault!"

"How many drinks have you had?"

Her eyes rolled into her head and she was out. Again came our small sigh, and then I grabbed Christina and wrapped my arm around her waist and gently woke her.

"Time to go home."

She mumbled something unintelligible and vomited.

"Oh, great. There go my pants." I made a sighing slash snarling sound. I was exhausted and didn't want to cart Christina home.

Tobias had Uriah slung over his shoulder. Twenty minutes later, we were both showered, in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Night."

"Night."


	5. Chapter 5

**Rate and review! Thank you for reading, and post some ideas in the comments!**

**The next chapter will have some violence, which will be fun. So, again, post some ideas, and I'll read 'em!**

I woke up, feelings refreshed and in a surprisingly good mood. I couldn't wait to bust Terry and Adam today, who, last time I saw them, were passed out on the kitchen floor, surrounded by beer and vomit.

Tobias and I walked to the cafeteria, getting our food and sitting down at the table, where Uriah and Christina sat, with two cups of coffee each.

"Hi, guys," I smeared butter onto my toast, smiling at my hung-over friends.

Christina groaned, and Uriah didn't raise his head from where it rested on the table.

"You puked on my shirt last night, Uriah, so at least give us a good morning," Tobias joked.

"Shut up," Uriah mumbled.

"You two really need to start sorting things out. Your initiates are going to be laughing at you today, as you puke onto the mats." I noticed the trash can in-between them, and bit back a laugh.

"I'll figure something out," Christina raised her head, and my eyes went wide. She looked awful. Her face was puffy and red, and her eyes were bloodshot. She spat a wad of something into the trash can.

"Oh, my God, I have a headache," Christina sighed. "I need to stop going to Zeke's parties."

"No, really," I smiled. "Speaking of which…"

Zeke plopped down on the table, looked at us, and said in a hoarse voice, "I have to go out to the crops today. All the way out. In the heat."

"That's what you get," Tobias sipped his coffee. "You need to stop throwing wild parties whenever you feel like it. You have an important job, and you need to take it seriously if you still want it."

"Why don't _you _have a day in my shoes?" Zeke spat out.

"I wouldn't be talking about how crappy your life is in front of us. We've been through it all," Tobias narrowed his eyes.

"You know what, Four? I'm sick of your whining about your oh-so-tough life." Zeke's hands curled into fists.

"I wasn't complaining, and I never do. Chill out. Tell the farmers you can't visit today, and then you can get rest and think about what you said." Tobias took his food and threw it away.

"We'd better go; we have some initiates with a hangover we want to bust." I grinned as I stepped away.

Christina vomited and Uriah mumbled something unintelligible.

I chuckled and we headed to the training room.

"So. Terry and Adam are fighting Tess and Violet, so I can't wait to see them crash." Tobias smiled.

I looked up at him. "They won't get in too much trouble. They'll be angry, though."

He nodded and we entered the training room.

Terry looked like a mess. She was barefoot, her clothes were the same as last night, and her face was puffy and red.

Adam, you could tell, had tried hard to cover his tracks, unlike Terry. He didn't fool anyone, though, as you could see by the green shade his face took on every time he moved from the chair he sat in.

"Terry," I yelled. "Where are your shoes?"

She gave me a rude hand gesture.

I was up to her in a couple of strides.

"I smell the alcohol on you and I saw you last night." Adam groaned and Terry sighed.

"You will proceed with the fights today, but both of you will fall down the rankings until the Dauntless leaders find out what you did. It wasn't a training rule, it was a government rule." Tobias frowned down on them.

"Can you just let us slip this one time?" Adam pleaded.

"After last night?" I laughed. "I saw what you two were doing on that couch. I'm surprised nobody stopped you." Adam's face got red, and he stood, then swayed and put a hand on his chair to steady himself.

"You don't…" He gagged a bit, and then swallowed. "You don't tell me what to do." Then he puked on the chair, turning his mouth so that none got on anybody.

Tobias grinned at me, and I smiled back as I got the chalkboard that listed today's fights.

"First up, Terry and Violet!" I called, and the two shuffled forward.

The fight was short-lived. Terry wasn't touched, but then she swayed and fell on her butt. Violet got out of her crouch, looking somewhat pleased, and then returned to the line of initiates.

Tess and Adam's went the same way. Tess got in a light shove to his shoulder and he toppled back, unable to get up. Tess returned to her spot next to Blaze and Jake.

Blaze, who hadn't fought the previous day, cracked her knuckled and prepared to fight James. He was short but strong, built like a boulder. So far, he hadn't given us trouble, but the whispers with Terry and Adam spoke otherwise.

"Come on!" Blaze, her chocolate skin glinting in the dim light, taunted him. "Scared of some Erudite girl?"

James laughed, and flipped back his light blond hair. "You're the one that should be scared."

He lunged and caught Blaze at her waist, but Blaze brought her hand down with as much power as she could muster on the back of his neck and he went down, only to pop back up.

In the blink of an eye, Blaze threw a right hook that created a cut underneath James's eye. He yelled and charged, hitting Blaze again and the waist, bringing her down. He threw his fist down over and over on her face, and she cried out for help.

"Enough!" I shouted, and Tobias blew his whistle, but James wouldn't come off. I grabbed his shoulders and threw his off, restraining him from further attacking the lifeless figure on the ground.

"Why'd you stop the fight?" James's spit blew into my face.

"You won. You did enough." Tobias said calmly.

"You shouldn't have stopped the fight!" James screamed. It would've been terrifying had I not seen this in transfers before.

"Deal with it." I spat, and then shoved him away. "Go take a walk."

He ripped his sleeve from here Tobias's hand rested to restrain him, and then stormed out the door.

"That was a tantrum," Tobias chuckled into my ear.

Jake was on his knees beside Blaze, and gently helping her up.

"I need to take her to the infirmary," He looked us both in the eye. "She's hurt really bad."

Tobias stepped forward, and then asked, "What about your fight? You'll go down in the rankings if you forfeit."

"I don't care. She needs help." Jake helped her stand, and Blaze, who was still mostly unconscious, leaned heavily on him.

As they hobbled out, Tobias stopped them, and put his hand on Jake's shoulder. Tobias nodded, and Jake returned the nod.

"Next up! Carrie and Stormy," Tobias shouted.

"Jake is brave," I whispered to Tobias as the two girls circled each other. "He's one of the best fighters, and he just quit for Blaze. That takes courage."

Tobias nodded.

Carrie got in a few punches, but eventually Stormy landed a blow to her stomach. The hit winded Carrie, and Stormy helped her up and they stood next to each other, waiting for our orders.

"It's lunch, so meet us back here soon." I called out, and then Tobias and I set up the gun stations. One last review before we went to the fears.

I set down the sleek black guns in a comfortable silence with my husband. As soon as we were done, we went to the cafeteria to see a Christina and Uriah, who were drinking tons of coffee and water, still hung over.

"How was this morning?" Tobias asked as he stuck a fork into his green beans.

"Absolutely amazing," Christina fixes us with her bloodshot glare. "It was awful. God, I'm never drinking again."

"That's what you said _last _time you got drunk, Christina. Which is pretty often." I admitted.

"No, it's not," She then clutched her temples, rubbing them with her index fingers. "Well, maybe I drink too much, but why does it matter?"

"You'll become an alcoholic." Tobias fixed her with his stone glare. "Like my father."

I winced. Marcus had passed away a few years ago, and we think it was because of his drinking problem.

"I'm not an alcoholic," She protested. "Am I an alcoholic, Uriah?"

Uriah shrugged.

Christina's face flushed. "I'm not an alcoholic," She repeated. "I'm not."

"Okay." I shrugged.

I stuck my fork into my macaroni as Christina stared at her plate and Uriah talked to Tobias.

As soon as we went into the training room, all eye snapped to us.

"One more day of review with the guns." As soon as I finished speaking, the trio that had caused us so much trouble started to whisper.

We went through the usual exercise, and one of the leaders, a tall, dark-skinned man named Ringer, came in to observe the training.

"Hey, Ringer," I called out to him, and he inclined his head in greeting.

When the training was over, we put the guns up. One was missing, and I wasn't surprised. Ringer had been showing the kids the best forms, and he probably forgot to put it back.

I shut the storage door behind us as we walked out. Tobias and I held hands, and I pulled him down for a long kiss.

"I love you, Tobias."

"I love you, Tris."

We headed down the hallway, not a care in the world.

I turned the corner, towards our apartment, and saw James's face, tears racing down, and posture rigid.

I narrowed my eyes, but then my mouth turned into a perfect O when I saw the gun barrel like a pinprick, and the loud band.

My body curled, folding around the hole that created itself in my abdomen.


	6. Chapter 6

**Should I start writing a different story alongside this one? Comment your answer and ideas in the reviews!**

The beeping was what pulled me into consciousness.

The world swam and spun around me, and I started at the ceiling and tried to make it stop. After a few minutes, I was able to move my eyes without becoming lightheaded again.

A tall figure was slumped in the chair next to me. After a few minutes of squinting and trying to make out its face, I realized with a rush that it was Tobias.

Why is Tobias here? Why am _I _here? I need to be training initiates, not lying in bed.

I tried to push myself up, and then an awful pain ripped through my stomach.

"Ahh!" I shouted, tears rushing from my eyes.

Tobias jerked in his chair, and seeing his exhausted face made everything tumble back to me.

James had shot me. I don't know where I was, because no hospital in Dauntless was this fancy. But seeing Tobias had made things better, if only temporarily.

"Tris," Tobias hit a blinking button next to my bed and helped me lay back down. "Thank God you're awake. Oh, thank God."

I just stared at him. I could hardly recall the events leading up to the shooting, and the pain was awful. I'd gotten shot before, but not near the chest.

"You've been sleeping for three days. The doctor had to keep you asleep so that the wound would heal. The bullet hit just below your right lung. We're so lucky that it wasn't a millimeter above, or else you'd be dead." Tobias looked like he was about to cry.

"Don't," My voice was hoarse. "It's nothing to cry over. What happened to James?"

Tobias's face darkened. "He got thrown out after I beat him up. By the time I was finished with him, he looked worse than Drew."

I remembered Drew from initiation. I found out he was killed by Edward, as was Molly.

I nodded slowly, and then the door opened. A tall man dressed in red and orange walked in. Amity colors. We must be in the main hospital in Amity.

"Tris. How are you feeling?" He stood beside the bed.

I shrugged.

"The bullet pierced the skin and chipped a rib. You'll be released in a day or two." I nodded, and then he performed a quick check-up and then left.

"What time is it?" I asked Tobias, who looked at his watch.

"Almost nine at night," He sighed. "Tris. When you get let out, I can handle the training on my own. Zeke has been taking over-"

"No." I coughed a bit. "I can help. I can help prepare for the landscapes, or do their fears, or anything you need me to do." I nodded.

Tobias reluctantly inclined his head. "Okay. And Christina has been worried about so, and so has Uriah. What do you want me to say to them?"

"Tell them I'll see them in two days." I set my jaw. "I'll be out by then, guaranteed."

Tobias smiled. "That's my girl."

*PAGE BREAK*

Two days.

Full of thinking, boredom, and speaking with only Tobias and my doctor.

I read what little fiction books the Amity had written since the war. I counted the ceiling tiles a million times over.

And I felt pain. All throughout my body. The bullet had just missed my lung and scraped a bone, and I'd been shot before, but in the flesh. Not through my chest.

Two days. Once those ended, I was put in a wheelchair.

"Want me to push you?" Tobias offered as we left the hospital.

"No." I lost who knows how much weight, and I definitely wasn't as strong as before, but I would try.

A car came to pick us up. Driving it was none other than Susan Black, her hair tightly in a bun.

"Hi, Susan," Tobias said as he helped me into the car.

"Hello, Four. Hello, Tris." I grunted a hello as pain washed over me.

"Why're you driving? Don't you work for the government?" Tobias swung into the seat beside me, leaving the passenger seat empty.

"Yes, but as soon as I got word of Bea—I mean, Tris's condition, I offered to do whatever I could do to help." She looked back and smiled. The rearview mirror was faced towards us, and she didn't look in it unless absolutely needed.

"Thank you," I panted. I was exhausted just from getting in the car. I cursed myself silently. When did I become as weak as to not being able to get into a _car_?"

Tobias looked at me in the eye. Every time I saw those deep blue, utterly unique eyes, I fell for him all over again. His hand fell over mine, and my heart constricted.

"Zeke is taking over training tomorrow, so we can stay at home and rest."

"What is he doing tomorrow?" I wondered.

"Just teaching them about the fear technology. Don't worry; we are saving the individual fears for ourselves." He smiled and gave my hand a squeeze. I nodded and then leaned my head back against the seat.

Before long, we were there. Taking an alternate entrance, we didn't have to jump, and then we thanked Susan and I leaned on Tobias.

I had refused the wheelchair, but Tobias pushed an empty one just in case. Greeting us at the entrance to the compound were Uriah and Christina, as well as several Dauntless friends we'd made over the years.

By then, I was panting and my face was pale as a sheet. I finally accepted the wheelchair, and sucked in air, trying to make the black spots disappear from my vision.

Christina and Uriah talked to me, but I was too tired to listen. The morning had been too hectic, and I just nodded and tried to focus on breathing.

Before I knew it, I was lying in bed. Tobias was making some pancakes in our kitchen, and whistled softly as he did so.

The television was on to some Erudite news broadcast. I half-heartedly listened. My black T-shirt was loose around the gauzed that was wrapped around the bullet wound. I had lost a lot of blood. When James had shot me, my body went into shock and I wasn't responding until Tobias got me to the hospital. Zeke had rushed us there and got us the best care possible, and I owed him.

Tobias came in a few minutes later. I smiled weakly and stabbed a fork into the stack of pancakes he set in between us. I picked at them absently, and then lay down.

"I'm tired," I said quietly.

"Okay." Tobias set the pancakes aside and we both lay, arms touching, above the covers.

I leaned over to Tobias.

"I love you, so much, Tobias," I don't know if it was the pain medicine or what, but I sniffled. "I love you."

"I love you too, Tris."

And he kissed me, and had his arm around me until I fell into a fitful sleep.

**Sorry for the uneventful chapter! I have been writing multiple stories at once, so I'm sorry **** Again, please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**After getting a review asking me to do a chapter from Tobias's point of view, I am going to start adding him in more form his perspective **

**TOBIAS POV**

My heart stopped.

My heart literally stopped beating for who knows how long, after my wife got shot.

I saw her body curl into a ball. Just less than a second ago, she was the strong, confident woman I knew and loved. But now, she was the fragile, vulnerable Beatrice, and I didn't want that.

James raised the gun for another shot. He was about twenty yards away, but that didn't stop me.

I ran, full out, and his shot went off into the ceiling.

Once. Twice. Three times my fist pummeled his nose, and I continued mercilessly beating him until Blake pulled me off.

An initiate had to pull an instructor off another initiate. In that moment, I really didn't care.

I raced to Tris. Her breathing was shallow. A quick look-over told me the worst: It may have clipped a lung.

I yelled until my throat was hoarse, running down the hallway and trying to scream for help. Tris's body was limp in my arms, and I had to struggle to keep tears from dripping down my face.

Eventually, Zeke had helped us out and gotten her quickly to an Amity hospital. She lay still for the longest time, and then they had to operate, which was the worst part. I have never trusted Erudite tools, but now my best friend's life would depend on it.

I sat outside of the room. I was exhausted, but it didn't stop me. Nothing could. I waited for hours until I was allowed to see her, oxygen mask in place, and it almost made me collapse. I scolded myself. What happened to the Tobias that never got scared? What happened to the Tobias that Tris fell in love with?

For three days, I didn't leave that hospital. I sat with Tris, sometimes talking to her, sometimes holding her hand. While she was in the brief medically-induced coma, nobody was allowed to see her other than immediate family. Which, I thought with a glow of pride, was me.

Caleb couldn't see her. He was arrested after the war for treason. Tris never went to visit him, because, honestly, who would want to see their brother after what he had put her through?

I couldn't sleep. No matter how tired I was, I had to stay with her. I entertained myself by thinking of what Zeke would do whenever Tris returned. Hopefully not another party. I laughed to myself. Christina, who I had gotten to know over the years, would jump on that idea.

"Tris…" I said one day, looking at her still and pale body. "I love you so much. I wish you were with me, because I need you now more than ever." My voice was quiet, soft, and I hoped that nobody would hear.

Two hours later, she woke up.

I was slumped in the chair. The doctor had taken her off the drugs five hours ago, and she should've woken up by now. I was beginning to lose hope.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her push herself up, only to respond with a cry that made my heart sing.

I leapt up and caught her before she fell back. I gently lay her down, and mashed a button that would call the doctor.

"Tris, thank God you're awake. Oh, thank God." I laughed, a shaky laugh filled with relief.

She stared at me with those giant eyes, but her hand squeezed around mine. I laughed again, and felt like crying, I was so happy.

"You've been sleeping for three days. The doctor had to keep you asleep so that the wound would heal. The bullet hit just below your right lung. We're so lucky that it wasn't a millimeter above, or else you'd be dead."

I guess my face had flushed and she could see the liquid gathering in my eyes, because she croaked, "Don't. It's nothing to cry over. What happened to James?"

"He got thrown out after I beat him up. By the time I was finished with him, he looked worse than Drew."

At that time, the doctor walked in. I didn't remember most of this; I was so happy and relieved. But all I knew what that I had my girl back.

**Sorry for the short chapter **** I have some big stuff planned, so be prepared! Muahaha! **


	8. Chapter 8

** Sorry for not posting for a while! I've been trying to think of a new story that I can write. Not fanfiction, but my own idea, one that I can develop.**

** Thank you for reading, please review!**

The next few weeks were full of pain, the inside of my apartment, and depression.

I wasn't able to look over the fears of my initiates, and I got depressed over that. And then it turns out that I had irritated the bullet wound much after the bullet wound, which I thought was a lie, but the hole had ripped open. Which made Tobias rush me to the Dauntless hospital, where the Amity doctor helped me.

I got angry. I yelled at Tobias. I yelled at Christina. I yelled at Uriah. Call me immature, but you try being condemned to bed rest after a life of action.

My abdomen had become soft. I had been eating and eating, doctors' orders, to regain some body fat I lost while in the hospital.

Now, I was slightly overweight in my opinion, and had a desperate need to go to the Dauntless training room and exercise from morning until night.

I was finally allowed to live my normal life, without exerting myself too much, after a few weeks. Tobias had forced me not to work until after I was fully healed, and so now I went to oversee their first experience with the fear landscape.

Uriah had eleven fears in total. He explained to the group of trembling initiates what would happen, and they all got assigned a fear from Uriah.

As the initiates lined up, I stood next to Tobias.

When I woke up this morning, I was excited, ready to go, ready to face the world. But now, I had crashed from the high, and was exhausted to the point I wanted to lean onto Tobias's bicep and fall asleep.

"Tris, you can go back to the room," He offered, putting his arm around me.

I sunk into his muscled chest. "If you think I'm going to leave, then you're messed up."

Tobias smiled down at me, and then guided me over to a separate room. We pressed electrodes to our foreheads, and then waited as Blake plunged into a fear.

He was in a black room. Blake brought himself up to his full height, and squared his broad shoulders.

A soft _hiss_ came from a corner.

Blake whipped around, in a fighting position. The hiss echoed, and then Blake stood even taller. He was probably taller than Uriah, which was saying something.

Suddenly, another hiss came, and a big, thick yellow rope-like creature came from the corner and towards Blake.

_Snake._

Blake had whacked the head away with his forearm as it struck, and then brought his foot down as it lay on the ground. He seemed to feel no fear, and actually laughed.

The snake was huge. I'd read about them before in school. Probably an anaconda, by the looks of it, and I heard Uriah whistle softly. He had sat next to us, pressing some electrodes onto his forehead, also.

Blake then closed his eyes. Within a second, he reached down, bringing back up a gun. He aimed it at the snake, and pulled the trigger.

With a splash of blood, the scene faded.

Blake came out, and the initiates cheered.

"Divergent?" I asked Tobias. He nodded and then Uriah called Tess to come in.

Tess was now standing near the Chasm, and a scream split the air. She ran to the edge.

Zeke hung by his fingertips, but by the look on Tess's face, she was seeing someone else.

"No!" Tess screamed, and tried to lean over the railing. She was tall enough, and tears started to flood down her face. "Mom, no! Hang on!"

She ducked through the bars, which were too wide in my opinion, and then tried to help her mother. Her foot slipped, and her Mom fell down into the Chasm, and Tess dived in, in a futile attempt to save her.

When Tess came out, she collapsed onto a bench and started sobbing. Blake immediately went to her and wrapped his strong arms around her small body, letting her cry into him.

**PAGE BREAK**

**FOUR POV**

Tris was in so much pain, it reflected on me.

I loved her, so much, but she was so stubborn. I loved her to the ends of the earth, but I had to share the blame in her stretching the bullet wound.

In my relief of her not-dying, we celebrated in a husband-wife way. I regretted every second of it, but at the same time, I was excited. She had agreed, and we were ready.

I was such an idiot. I'm selfish, and now she had to suffer alone in the room. But it'd be worth it, I knew it.

The fear landscapes went rather smoothly, with only a few slip-ups. Tomorrow would be an important day, so we let them out after lunch.

Tris and I went home after eating, and she lay on the bed.

"Tired?" I offered a smile.

She shook her head.

My smile faded. "What's wrong?"

Again, she shook her head.

"Tris?" Her face was pale, and then her stomach rippled. I grabbed the trash can just as she threw up, and then a shudder of fear and relief coursed through me.

"God, Tobias!" She yelled during her puking session. "Why'd you freaking do this?"

"Tris!" I shouted joyfully as she lay back, and I took the can to the sink. "You know what this means!"

Tris groaned, and I jumped, pumping my fist.

"Tris, we've done it! We created a human!" Joy surged through me, and I was happier than I'd ever known I could be. After running soap and water through the can, I raced back into our room. Tris looked miserable, but happiness was dancing in her eyes.

I whooped and lay next to her, grinning and laughing. "Tris, finally. After all this time, finally."

We fell asleep on top of the sheets, holding hands.

**PAGE BREAK**

The first doctor's appointment.

I was ecstatic, and Tris was also delighted, even though she had been feeling like crap. I loved her so much, and all of our friends and neighbors were psyched.

Upon our visit, I absorbed every single thing that was available to me. Tris mostly tried not to puke, but that failed halfway through, where she made it to a trashcan in time, and I held her hair and the doctor ran to get some towels for the mess she made on the floor.

We figured out the gender. A girl.

**PAGE BREAK**

Tris was in the hospital, breathing heavily, as I held her hand, kneeling beside her. That's all I remembered, before my beautiful girl was placed into my arms.

A single tear ran down my face, splashing onto her face, and I choked out to Tris, "She's beautiful. She's beautiful."

When we took her home, the entire apartment was set up. It was hard to adjust at first to her cries, but eventually, as she grew, I began to love her even more.

Tris had to return to work when she was a few months old, which meant that I was the full-time parent.

The baby was wonderful. She was cute and sweet and smiled to everyone.

I lay with her on the floor, which was her favorite spot. I balanced her on my legs and held her arms up, making faces I'd never make in front of anyone else, and she giggled.

I loved her so much. I felt a protective feeling that I'd never felt before.

She had a fuzz of hair, and as I lay next to her, just watching her sleep on the bed, I smiled, and realized that Natalie Anne Eaton was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

**Sorry for the time skips! The next chapter will start when she is turning sixteen. Sorry, I'm not good with all the children stuff! Done hate me!**


End file.
